Left/Right Politics, Cartoons & Propaganda Bin

[FrankL]

Re: Left/Right Politics, Cartoons & Propaganda Bin

I feel most Americans support the right to have an abortion as well as access for all to birth control.

The GOP platform to forbid abortion will never fly and it's hard to believe they even try stop it.

However there is huge support to forbid late term abortions.It is settled science that a fetus can feel pain in the 28th week.

http://discovermagazine.com/2005/dec/fetus-feel-pain

So it makes sense to forbid abortions in the last two months of gestation, except where the physical health of the mother is threatened. A woman has a right to abortion, but also a responsibility to get it done early in the pregnancy.

The extreme positions on both ends of the abortion issue, forbidding it by the Republicans and allowing at always by the Democrats are fully outside the mainstream of American voters.

What thoughts do readers of this thread have on this? Agree or any other observations?

Definitions on why you cannot kill a living organism, in the context of abortion, have some interesting implications for killing animals for consumption, especially when it concerns mammals.

[shiny!]

Re: Left/Right Politics, Cartoons & Propaganda Bin

Good politics is the art of constructive compromise.

The USA elected officials seem to have long ago lost the ability to execute good politics.

I think it was jk who said the reason why USA elected officials don't compromise anymore is because they did away with earmarks. When politicians don't get anything for their districts in return for compromising, they have no incentive to work with opponents across the aisle. Now all we have is both parties tilted towards the extremes, and a lot of self-righteous blaming and complaining about the other side refusing to compromise.

[Woodsman]

Re: Left/Right Politics, Cartoons & Propaganda Bin

"Funny stuff. Christie is all gut and no guts. Too clever by half a pizza, he figured that with the Trump endorsement, he'd get a late-in-the-game hit in on Rubio, while securing a cabinet position with our inevitable casino-builder-in-chief. But a manipulator like Trump recognized Christie's gesture as insincere, leaving Christie with the parting gift of some Girl Scout cookies and a plane ride back to New Jersey, where's he's less popular than ever. Good strategery there genius!

When you lose in politics or in life, sometimes the best you can do is to console yourself with the knowledge that you held to your principles and remained true to yourself. Christie has lost and denied himself even that consolation. Now he has no career, no admirers and I would imagine, a lot fewer friends. Who trusts Chris Christie? Who thinks he stands for anything? A long fall from that inspiring speech he gave at the Reagan library a couple years back. Character matters Chris. And you failed the test. The plane is over there. Get on and go home."

Is Chris Christie okay?



Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks on Super Tuesday in Palm Beach, Fla., as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie listens in the background. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

I believe that Donald Trump was talking, tonight, and that he, in fact, held an entire press conference. But it was impossible to hear him over Chris Christie’s eyes.

Chris Christie spent the entire speech screaming wordlessly. I have never seen someone scream so loudly without using his mouth before. It would have been remarkable if it had not been so terrifying.

Sometimes, at night, do you still hear them, Clarice? The screaming of the Christies?

His were the eyes of a man who has gazed into the abyss, and the abyss gazed back, and then he endorsed the abyss.

It was not a thousand-yard stare. That would understate the vast and impenetrable distance it encompassed.

He looked as if he had seen a ghost and the ghost had made him watch Mufasa die again.

He had the eyes of a man who has looked into the heart of light, the silence. A man who had seen the moment of his
greatness flicker, and seen the eternal footman hold his coat, and snicker.

And, in short, he looked afraid.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie address Donald Trump supporters at Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on March 1 saying that Trump has "shown himself to be tough and strong and bold." (Reuters)



He had the face of a man who has used his third wish and realized too late that “may my family never starve” could be twisted to mean that the genie should murder his entire family.

He had the face of a man who has just realized his own mortality.

Look into those eyes and try to deny that Chris Christie has seen something.

Someone just told Chris Christie that there is no God. Or Chris Christie has just discovered that God does exist but She is an enormous snake who hates or is indifferent to mankind. Or Chris Christie has just discovered that there is no God but that Hell is real.

“When are they coming to airlift me out?” Chris Christie’s eyes are pleading. “Please tell me that they are coming and that it is soon.” But then his expression hardens. Chris Christie knows that they are not coming back for him.

This is his life now.

Soon he must return to the plane onto which Trump humiliatingly sent him before. Soon he must return to the small cupboard under the stairs where he is kept and occasionally thrown small slivers of metaphorical raw meat. When he asked to be part of Trump’s cabinet he never thought to specify “presidential cabinet, of course, not a literal cabinet underground where the ventilation is poor and there is no light.” It just did not occur to him. Why would it? And now it is too late.

Nobody is coming for you, Chris Christie. Nobody is coming to save you.

Chris Christie has seen things. Things you wouldn’t believe. Things that would make your hair fall out and turn grey all at once. But he cannot speak of them. He can only stand there. Chris Christie is the bearer of a hideous knowledge that hangs on him like a horrible weight. But he has no way to say it.

He is embroidering this hideous truth very slowly onto a handkerchief, but it will not be ready in time.

Chris Christie must stand and watch as his city is overrun with Imperial troops and his friends are frozen in carbonite.

Chris Christie has the glazed and terrified look of someone who has traded his inheritance for no pottage at all, who has watched his credibility dry up and is about to be led back to his basement cage, having lost Winterfell for good.

Chris Christie is realizing that the steak he gets to eat inside the Matrix is not worth this.

Chris Christie has made a yuge mistake.

Donald Trump won at least seven states on Super Tuesday. His path to the nomination is clear.

Chris Christie has no mouth, but he must scream.

"“The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents... some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new Dark Age.”
― H.P. Lovecraft

[vt]

Re: Left/Right Politics, Cartoons & Propaganda Bin

Good assessment Woody:-)

The fun is just beginning! With Trump firmly in command the Republicans now realize the party has been hijacked and they can't do a damn thing about it. Who will they run as an independent? None of the current field meets the test and Romney is a possibility. But how does he play with the anti everything establishment voters?

Meanwhile Hillary may still be indicted and Biden could step in if needed.

Get plenty of popcorn because this weird election year is about to become even stranger.

[jk]

Re: Left/Right Politics, Cartoons & Propaganda Bin

here’s part of nate silver’s take:


There’s a lot that ties Christie and Trump together, however. Christie and Trump have a close personal relationship. Trump has long done business in Atlantic City and is quite popular among New Jersey Republicans. Neither Christie nor Trump is especially conservative, and they’re certainly not small-government conservatives. Both can rankle their fellow Republicans, as Christie did with his self-serving convention speech and embrace of President Obama during the 2012 campaign.

Some of this may also be plain old opportunism. Trump is the most likely Republican nominee, after all. (Or at least one of the two most likely if you’re feeling very generous to Marco Rubio.) If nominated, Trump will have to pick a running mate. And if he’s elected president, he’ll have to appoint a Cabinet. Vice President Christie or Attorney General Christie ain’t all that far-fetched.
------


here’s some info from the link about christie and trump’s "close personal relationship":


Christie goes back years with Trump. I took the conversation down a side road when I asked how they first met. Christie told me that in 2002, as a new U.S. attorney in New Jersey, he paid a courtesy call on Third Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Maryanne Trump Barry, Trump's sister. "At the end of the meeting, she said 'I'd like you to do me a favor,'" Christie recalled. "And I said, 'Sure, judge, what's that?' And she said, 'I'd like you to go out to dinner with my little brother.' And I said, 'You mean Donald?' And she said, 'Yes, he really wants to meet you.'"

A dinner was arranged in one of Trump's hotels in New York. Christie got the Trump experience.

"He ordered dinner for me," Christie said.

"You mean he chose what you would eat?"

"Uh-huh."

"You didn't ask him to do this?"

"No. The chef came out, who's the owner of the restaurant, and [Trump] said to him, 'Jean Georges, remember the appetizer you made for me last week when I was here? We'll take two of those. And remember that main course you made, the special thing you made for me? We'll take two of those, too.' And he looked at me and said, 'Don't worry, you'll love it.'"

Christie was a little taken aback. But afterward, Christie, Trump, and their wives began to have dinner together maybe a couple of times a year. "We've been friends for a long time," Christie told me.

[jk]

Re: Left/Right Politics, Cartoons & Propaganda Bin

ps- fwiw, scott adams, who's done a pretty good job predicting trump's rise, believes christie will be the vp.

[thriftyandboringinohio]

Re: Left/Right Politics, Cartoons & Propaganda Bin

ps- fwiw, scott adams, who's done a pretty good job predicting trump's rise, believes christie will be the vp.

When I watched Christie stand next to Trump on Super Tuesday night in the ballroom press event it was clear that Christie wants VP.
The wife and I laughed about what might be going through Christie's mind as he stood respectfully behind The Donald at parade rest.

[Ellen Z]

Re: Left/Right Politics, Cartoons & Propaganda Bin

I think it was jk who said the reason why USA elected officials don't compromise anymore is because they did away with earmarks. When politicians don't get anything for their districts in return for compromising, they have no incentive to work with opponents across the aisle.

A great example of unintended consequences.

[jk]

Re: Left/Right Politics, Cartoons & Propaganda Bin

When I watched Christie stand next to Trump on Super Tuesday night in the ballroom press event it was clear that Christie wants VP.
The wife and I laughed about what might be going through Christie's mind as he stood respectfully behind The Donald at parade rest.

the times noted that christie introduced him as "mr. trump," and was quite deferential. next step: "mr. president."

fwiw, here's adams' analysis of the vp pick:



Trump’s VP Options (Master Persuader Filter)

Posted February 29th, 2016 @ 12:32pm in #Trump

---

Just for fun, let’s say Trump has five options for VP.

• John Kasich
• Some other white male governor
• Superstar woman or minority governor
• Mark Cuban
• Chris Christie

I’ll break down the choices for you and run them through the Master Persuader filter for a prediction.
In normal elections, the party nominee picks a VP running mate that can help win an important state. But Trump is likely to run the table without that specific kind of help. Instead, Trump needs some legitimacy around the hard work of governing and cajoling congress. Trump says that directly.
On the Master Persuader Filter, I see the options this way:

John Kasich: Too boring. Trump would prefer a candidate who can suck all the energy away from the other VP choice. Kasich is too safe.

Some other White, Male Governor: Unlikely for the same reason that Kasich is. No sizzle.

Superstar woman or minority governor: This option has the sizzle, but could a woman or minority credibly side with Trump? I don’t think so. And the media would do nothing but ask that person how he or she could be on Trump’s team. It would be a distraction. And it would seem more pandering than straight-shooting.

Mark Cuban: Cuban would be my first choice for Trump VP, but he adds nothing in terms of governing experience. Worse yet, the media would keep saying Cuban should be running for president instead of Trump. That is not a comparison Trump wants. But if he decided to take a chance on that comparison, a Trump/Cuban ticket would be unbeatable.

Chris Christie: If you think about it, Christie is the poor man’s Trump. He has plenty of sizzle – just short of Trump’s wattage – and he reinforces the straight-talking, hard-ass approach of Trump. This is an ideal comparison for Trump. Relatively few people would say the ticket should be reversed with Christie on top. And Christie is sufficiently experienced to take over the presidency if needed. I assume they could work well together. Many asses would be kicked.

You might think that a Trump/Christie ticket would alienate the South and the West. But Trump has shown strength everywhere, so that is less of an issue than it would be in a normal election.

The Master Persuader filter says Trump will pick Christie. I put the odds at 70%.

For new readers, I disavowed Trump so I can stay out of the splatter zone. But I still predict he will win the presidency in a landslide that will make history.

----------

fwiw- my take- can't you see christie, the one with governmental experience, going down to congress and knocking heads? he's trump's perfect surrogate.

[jk]

Re: Left/Right Politics, Cartoons & Propaganda Bin

another line of adams', in some earlier post, is that with trump and hillary it's going to be a daddy vs mommy election. you can hear it already in hillary's lines: e.g we don't need to build walls but to make america whole again [one big happy family]. it's been a while since paris and san bernardino, but any terrorist action or military flare will redound to daddy's benefit.

[Ellen Z]

Re: Left/Right Politics, Cartoons & Propaganda Bin

With Trump firmly in command the Republicans now realize the party has been hijacked and they can't do a damn thing about it.

This sort of thing has happened before, although not in our lifetimes.

1912: Progressive Party formed by former President Theodore Roosevelt, after a split in the Republican Party between him and President William Howard Taft. (Party became known as the Bull Moose Party after journalists quoted Roosevelt saying "I feel like a bull moose" shortly after it was formed.) Four-way election that year.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progre...d_States,_1912)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United...election,_1912

From the early 1830s to the mid-1850s there were two major U.S. parties, the Whigs and the Democrats. From 1840 onwards there were four Whig presidents, but during the 1850s that party disintegrates. In 1856, five parties run presidential candidates:
Democratic Party
Republican Party (strongly against slavery's expansion)
American (Know-Nothing) (ignored slavery and instead emphasized anti-immigration and anti-Catholic policies)
North American Party
North American Seceders Party
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...filiation#Whig
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United...election,_1856

In 1860 the Democratic party split and there was a four-way election – we all know what happened after that.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United...election,_1860

Messy, isn’t it?

If Republicans who don’t support Trump form their own party this year, that won’t be a surprise.

[santafe2]

Re: Left/Right Politics, Cartoons & Propaganda Bin

"We've been friends for a long time," Christie told me.

Not so much. You're just another person worth controlling. For Trump there are the people too unimportant to control, the people he can't control and the people he finds semi-worthy of control.

One of the first lessons every adult should understand: Look around the poker table. If you don't know who the sucker is, it's you.

I sometimes dislike Christy and other times I feel sorry for him.

[santafe2]

Re: Left/Right Politics, Cartoons & Propaganda Bin

ps- fwiw, scott adams, who's done a pretty good job predicting trump's rise, believes christie will be the vp.

I think Adams is incorrect. If you could water board me I'd have to admit I only hope Adams is incorrect. I don't have facts to back up my assertion and to make it worse, I don't like Clinton. This is going to be one very weird election.

[Woodsman]

Re: Left/Right Politics, Cartoons & Propaganda Bin

I think Adams is incorrect. If you could water board me I'd have to admit I only hope Adams is incorrect. I don't have facts to back up my assertion and to make it worse, I don't like Clinton. This is going to be one very weird election.

[jk]

Re: Left/Right Politics, Cartoons & Propaganda Bin

I think Adams is incorrect. If you could water board me I'd have to admit I only hope Adams is incorrect. I don't have facts to back up my assertion and to make it worse, I don't like Clinton. This is going to be one very weird election.

with a trump-christie ticket they can play bad cop, worse cop.